This Date In Royals History--1985 Edition: April 10
The Royals lose to Toronto in 10 innings, but two players sign their lifetime contracts.
The Toronto Blue Jays’ offseason efforts to improve their bullpen paid off quickly, as their two new late-inning relievers got a win and a save in a 1-0 win over Kansas City in 10 innings on Wednesday night at Royals Stadium.
Royals starter Danny Jackson held Toronto scoreless for nine innings, while Toronto’s Doyle Alexander kept the Royals off the board into the seventh inning. Jackson limited the Jays to five hits while striking out three and walking none. He only faced real trouble once, when George Bell tripled in the ninth inning with one out. But Jackson got Jesse Barfield and Jeff Burroughs to pop up to second and the inning was over.
The Royals had several chances to get a run or two, but couldn’t cash in. In the first inning, Willie Wilson and George Brett walked, but Wilson was thrown out at home trying to score on Steve Balboni’s single. In the seventh, Darryl Motley singled with one out and Jim Sundberg advanced him to third with a two-out single. Jays manager Bobby Cox summoned one of those new pitchers, Bill Caudill, to the mound. Caudill induced a fly ball from Onix Concepcion to end the inning with the score still 0-0.
In the bottom of the eighth, Caudill walked Brett with two outs. Brett stole second, but Caudill intentionally walked Jorge Orta, then struck out Balboni to end the inning. Caudill was still on the mound for the ninth, and Motley led off with a double. Frank White bunted him to third, and Toronto intentionally walked Dane Iorg. Caudill got Concepcion again, this time on a popup, and Wilson flied out to end the inning.
In the top of the 10th, Willie Upshaw greeted reliever Joe Beckwith with a single. A sacrifice bunt moved him to third, but Beckwith retired pinch-hitter Rance Mulliniks on a grounder, with Upshaw holding at second. Tony Fernandez hit a grounder to deep short; Concepcion’s throw to first was just a bit late, and Upshaw rounded third and scored just ahead of Balboni’s throw home, with a slide that knocked the ball out of catcher John Wathan’s glove.
“For me on that play, it’s just a basic thing. Fortunately, Tony beat the throw. I didn’t think it was going to be that close but it was. I got there about the same time the ball did and I think I jarred the ball loose.”--Upshaw, quoted by the Associated Press, April 11, 1985
The Jays’ other new reliever, Gary Lavelle, brushed aside the heart of the Kansas City order in the bottom of the 10th for the save.
“It’s really tough to lose one like that. It’s really tough when you get pitching like that. Jackson was excellent. You just can’t pitch any better than that. That’s what makes it really tough to lose. You can see the difference in their club in just two games. Their relief pitching is going to make a big difference.”--Royals manager Dick Howser, quoted by the Associated Press, April 11, 1985
Off the field, the Royals and two players finally signed the long-discussed “lifetime contracts” the club had offered. Wilson and relief pitcher Dan Quisenberry both agreed to terms that included quite a bit of investment in co-owner Avron Fogelman’s real estate holdings. While full terms were not disclosed, the base pay was said to be somewhere between $700,000 and $800,000 annually for both players.
“These lifetime contracts are in keeping with our philosophy of recognizing the achievements of players who excel in our organization.”--Fogelman, quoted by the Associated Press, April 11, 1985
“Since Kansas City is my home, it is a privilege to receive such a contract from Mr. Kauffman and Mr. Fogelman in my home city. The great thing is that the contract in fact makes me a Royal for the remainder of my career. It’s a thrill to know that I will never have to change uniforms or go to a different city and make the adjustments most other players have to make at some point.”--Quisenberry, quoted by the Associated Press, April 11, 1985
“It has always been my goal to complete my playing career in Kansas City and I expressed that to Mr. Fogelman and Mr. Kauffman.”--Wilson, quoted by the Associated Press, April 11, 1985
Box score and play-by-play:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/KCA/KCA198504100.shtml
Today’s birthdays: Ryan Verdugo (1987), Chris Dwyer (1988), Scott Blewett (1996)